Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog

Here's How to Get On Contestant's Row and Win Big on The Price is Right

By now, you've most likely heard the big news- The Price is Right Live is coming to Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare Theater in October. You've also most likely purchased your tickets, which went on sale yesterday.

With excitement bubbling and tickets on pre-order, the next logical question is, of course, How the heck do I come home with all those fancy prizes??

Lucky for you, two former winners, Ben Robinson and Terry Kniess, have developed "highly scientific" and "foolproof" tactics for getting invited up on stage and for walking away with the good stuff.

While you can read their complete stories here and here, we've developed a quick six-step summary, based on their combined experiences.

Naturally, those of us here at Scene can't personally guarantee that these strategies are "foolproof," because hey- none of us have ever been on the show- but we can say one thing: they sure did work for these two guys.

Might as well give it a shot.

Here are their six secrets to winning like a boss on The Price is Right.

Tactic 1 Get to know the show. Get to know the show really, really well. Robinson said he watched the show for months, while Kniess said he and his wife spent years looking for patterns. They both suggest memorizing the general appearance, estimated age, enthusiasm level, and "custom-shirt-having-ness" of every called-down contestant. Building a mental predictive model will help you make smart choices once you're up on stage.

Tactic 2 Document the price of every single item and showcase for every show watched, especially for the more expensive items like vacations and cars. Also note what each contestant bids on them. Robinson suggests making a spreadsheet like this one, to keep everything in order. Memorize this list and look for re-occurring prizes.

Tactic 3 Make your custom T-shirt. Wear it proudly.

Tactic 4 Get in touch with everyone you possibly can who has made it onto Contestant's Row. Extract all possible knowledge from each individual. Ask questions about everything- from arrival time, to interview answers, to personal dress, and prize bids.

Tactic 5 On the day of the show, arrive early. Like really early. You want to be first to meet the producers and get an interview. Robinson said that the interview is the lone means that producers have for selecting contestants. You basically have to nail it. "The goal is to toe the line between enthusiasm and transparent, annoying fakeness," he said. Don't be shy or modest. They want people who are going to make good TV. He also said that being young and good-looking helps. You can read up on another winner's interview tactics here.

Tactic 6 Once your name is called- OMG CONGRATULATIONS YOU DID IT AHH- you want to be overtly enthusiastic and, c'mon, you probably will be. But you also must remain calm and collected. This is when you will have to draw on all those months of studying up on various prices and bids. Be smart and don't let your excitement cloud your judgement. You know the values of the prizes. Just apply your noggin.

So those are the six steps, folks. Now go out there and give it a shot (and let us know how you do!).